ITU Media Centre

ITU opens bidding for the 2021 Grand Final

03 May 2018

ITU has opened the bidding process for the crown jewel of its annual calendar, welcoming cities all around the world to deliver their proposals to host the 2021 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and Age Group World Championships. The time has also come to welcome offers from those cities interested in organising, for the first time ever, the 2021 ITU World Triathlon Sprint & Relay Championships as well as the 2020 and 2021 ITU World Triathlon Multisport Festivals, the 2019 ITU World Cup and 2019 ITU Paratriathlon events.

“It really is an honour for us to open up such a major bid process, welcoming approaches from around the world not only for our Grand Final, but also for the Sprint & Relay World Championships, the Multisport World Championships, World Cups and Paratriathlon races. It shows that our sport is continuing to grow and that the interest of cities, both large and small, is increasing”, said ITU President and IOC member, Marisol Casado. “We keep adding new settings for our athletes to shine in, and the feedback we have been getting from the cities that we partner with is amazing. They all love how we embrace with the city, the culture and the people wherever we go”, she said.

The ITU World Triathlon Grand Final brings together athletes of all levels, from future stars and Olympic medallists to all abilities in the mass participation market. In 2021, the Grand Final will be the home of not only the Men’s and Women’s Elite races, but also the Paratriathlon World Championships, the U23 Women and Men and the Age Group Standard distance races. New addition to the program will be the Age Group Super-Sprint World Championships.

The Grand Final is the most prestigious race on the ITU calendar each year, creating an immediate economic impact by bringing in a significant number of international tourists to the host city, including more than 5,000 competitors, support teams, officials, family and friends. With the addition of local races, the number of competitors alone can exceed 10,000 people. The Grand Final host city will also welcome the annual ITU Congress, with delegates from up to 160 countries making the key decisions on the future of the sport.

The successful city can expect to attract an audience of millions of viewers from around the world. This includes international TV distribution for both live TV and a customised 48-minute highlight show as well as international news distribution, internet TV and international print media coverage.

The ITU Triathlon World Championships were first held in Avignon, France in 1989. In 2009, the championships were revamped, expanding the single-day World Championship race into an exciting multi-city global series that culminates with the ITU Triathlon World Championship Grand Final. Athletes earn points throughout the season, with those who finish top in the overall series crowned the ITU Triathlon World Champion. This year, the Grand Final will be held in Australia’s Gold Coast before moving to Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2019 and heading to the Canadian city of Edmonton in 2020.

From 2021, ITU will introduce a new event with both Elite and Age Group categories. The ITU World Triathlon Sprint & Relay Championships will feature super-sprint World Championships for Elite athletes, Sprint World Championships for Age-Group and Junior athletes and Mixed Relay World Championships events in all categories, including Age-Groupers.

Host cities, with the endorsement of their respective National Federation, can bid for the first ever edition of the ITU World Triathlon Sprint & Relay Championships, an event that can bring over 4,000 competitors, support teams, officials, family and Friends to a city. With the addition of local races, the number of competitors can exceed 8,000.

Host cities have a unique opportunity to host a World Triathlon event on a multi-year basis. This long-term approach brings major benefits, including greater potential to attract sponsors, increased athlete and spectator participation, improved organisational structure, greater media profile, a more engaged community and the opportunity for creating local and national health initiatives.

Cities interested in hosting either the 2021 Grand Final or the 2021 Sprint and Mixed Relay World Championship must send a letter of interest to ITU before June 15, and submit all Bid documents before July 15. The election and announcement of the host cities for each event will take place during the 2018 ITU Grand Final in Gold Coast, on 11 September 2018.

Further opportunities for cities from all over the world to join the family of ITU events are available through the bidding process for the 2020 and 2021 ITU World Triathlon Multisport Championships.

This event, held for the first time in Penticton (Canada) in 2017, includes the World Championships of Long Distance, Duathlon, Cross Triathlon, Aquathlon and Aquabike, for elite athletes as well as for age-groupers. Taking place over up to 10 days, the ITU World Triathlon Multisport Championships are more than just a sports competition for the athletes, they provide an important development opportunity from the grassroots to elite level, giving athletes from a wide range of age groups the opportunity to race.

This year, the Multisport World Championship will take place in Fyn, Denmark, while in 2019 Pontevedra (Spain) will host the event. Cities interested in bidding for the 2020 and 2021 events must send their letter of interest before June 15 and deliver the bid documents before July 15. On September 11, the selected cities will present their bids to the ITU Executive Board, who will then choose the successful candidates.

ITU has also opened the bid process for the 2019 ITU Triathlon World Cup circuit, the second tier of events within the organisation. The ITU introduced the Triathlon World Cup circuit to its program in 1990, the year after it was established. Since the creation of the World Triathlon Series in 2009, the Triathlon World Cup circuit has become the second-tier series of ITU events.

The Triathlon World Cup circuit comprises events with Olympic distance (1.5km swim, 40km bike and a 10km run), sprint distance (750m swim, 20km bike and a 5km run) and two-day, semi-final/final formats. It is designed to provide a solid and professional base for athletes pursuing entry to the World Triathlon Series and qualification for the Olympics Games and other major Games. Points from the Triathlon World Cup events count towards the final World Championships classification of the World Triathlon Series.

The Triathlon World Cup events create an immediate economic impact by bringing in a significant number of international tourists to the host city, consisting of competitors, support teams, officials, family and friends. In 2018, the World Cup circuit comprises 17 events across 5 continents.

Cities interested in bidding to host a World Cup event must send their application, through a National Federation, before June 30. The election of the host cities for 2019 will be on September 20, 2018.

ITU has also opened the bidding for the 2019 Paratriathlon events, including World Paratriathlon Series (WPS) and Paratriathlon World Cup (PWC). In 2019, ITU will organise between two and four WPS events worldwide that can be combined with a World Triathlon Series event or run independently, with a maximum of one per continent, and between eight and ten PWC events worldwide that also can be combined with another ITU event or ran independently.

The ITU Paratriathlon Events are designed to provide high-quality competition for athletes and are planned to span all continents and promote global participation.

Cities interested in bidding must send their application and all the documentation required before July 15, and the selection of the host cities by the ITU Executive Board will take place on September 11, 2018.